Richard H. Taylor
Agency patch
Officer

Richard H. Taylor

Metropolitan Police Department — Washington, DC
Felonious
End of Watch December 13, 1946
Age 48
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
The Vigil Panel 83 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Richard Taylor was shot and killed as he and other officers chased a 14-year-old boy with a handgun in front of a flower shop at 924 17th Street, NW. The boy ducked behind a car and shot Officer Taylor in the stomach before being apprehended. Officer Taylor had served with the Metropolitan Police Department for 22 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-DC-B04A6E70
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

22 years. You could have gone home.
Officer Taylor gave the Metropolitan Police Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Washington community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Taylor.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity mpdc.dc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 13, 1946
Tour of Duty 22 yrs
Age 48
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Officer Richard H. Taylor is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In DC, 754 of 1,418 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.2% of this state's fallen. That is 53.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Metropolitan Police Department, 70 of 131 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.4% of this agency's fallen.

Metropolitan Police Department
70
of 131 officers
53.4% Felonious
DC — Statewide
754
of 1,418 officers
53.2% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard H. Taylor's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Richard H. Taylor Compares

Age at Death
48
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
22
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Richard H. Taylor is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Richard H. Taylor was killed by handgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location